Search Ends in Success
It was a harrowing situation for one family on the Oregon dunes yesterday afternoon. A call went out at 4:55 pm for a missing person. Matt House with West Lane Fire and Ems said it was all hands on deck including the airship from the U.S. Coast Guard as search and rescue teams looked in the water, down the beaches and on the dunes for a 3 year old that had apparently wandered off from family members. The toddler had already been missing for about 30 minutes according to the information that was given to emergency responders. At about 6:10 the child was located by a Good Samaritan who saw the child wandering. It was reported that the toddler was safe, sound and apparently very talkative according to one rescuer. The child was found about a mile from where the search originated.
No New COVID-19 Cases
The two week running total for COVID-19 cases in the Florence area has dropped below 10, a number that had not been seen in several months. There have been no new cases reported in the last week for Florence (1505). Lane County reported 26 cases. There has been another 19% decline in cases from the previous week across the state as hospitalizations also decreased by 31%. Deaths have also gone down but there were 30 reported yesterday by the OHA. The OHA has also started monitoring the BA2 Omicron variant, dubbed the Stealth variant as it was undetectable for some time. The state dashboard will split out the variant from the main variant and will update it regularly.
FACE Indoor Yard Sale
Florence Arts, Culture and Entertainment, or FACE has announced that they will be doing a fundraiser billed as “Everyone’s Favorite Indoor Yard Sale.” The event will be from 10am to 4 pm on April 30th at the Florence Events Center and they are looking for vendors to participate. The fee for a booth varies and entry into the event is only 1$. Vendor Application
Rhody Run
The Rhododendron festival kicks off in the third weekend in May and one staple of the event is the Rhody run. The Florence Chapter of Habitat for Humanity is deep in the planning stages of the 43rd annual Rhody Run. Race organizer Janell Morgan says social distancing and mask requirements have virtually been eliminated this year.
“We’ll still have safety precautions out there for people who want to have masks, we want everyone to feel comfortable. But it feels great to be back out there and I think that the theme this year is just perfect with back in bloom.”
This year’s entry fee is $25 for adult pre-registration, slightly lower for those 17 and under. All proceeds from the race help support the habitat programs. Online registration and more information are available at Florence habitat dot org, or at the habitat office.
SNAP Benefits Extended
If you receive SNAP benefits from the state of Oregon, your temporary increased benefits will continue through April. The federal government has approved additional money to supply the program through April 30th. The allotments will be distributed on April 12th for those who have been regularly receiving them. Those who missed the first month of benefits will receive an additional allotment on either April 29th or May 3rd.
